Monday Round Up: The Right Leaves Arnold

REPUBLICANS GO AFTER GOVERNOR: This story from the Redding paper is worth a read for those who follow California politics. Republican politicians in the far north of the state sharply criticized Schwarzenegger's handling of the budget, during a public meeting late last week and: Sam Aanestad, a state senator, sounds particularly angry. He says that Schwarzenegger is sending mixed signals (though that's hardly a new charge, and accurate given the incredible diversity of his administration and his management methods, which encourage internal arguments). But he goes even further by saying that Schwarzenegger does not have the state's best interests at heart. "He's much more interested in the governor's future than in Californians'. He's got two more years. He can slide through and become a senator," Aanestad said.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: My post Friday on Gov. Schwarzenegger's personal spending on initiatives should have said that his latest donations to the redistricting initiative come from his political committee, not his own pocket. As the Sacramento Bee correctly points out today.

IT'S OVER: While running for governor in the 2003 recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger fought hard for the endorsements of anti-tax conservatives, especially those at the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Assn. Longtime Howard Jarvis official Jon Coupal sees Schwarzenegger's opposition to his eminent domain initiative, Prop. 98, as a final straw. Their relationship is over.

CHRONICLE ON DENHAM RECALL: The paper reports that there's not much grass roots support for recalling the Republican state senator.

SKELTON ON REDISTRICTING: The LA Times columnist weighs in and sounds supportive of the redistricting initiative and a possible counter-measure that could be put on by the legislature.

COLORADO DRUGS: This story frm the CBS affiliate in Denver is getting a ton of attention, because of claims from a DEA agent that Denver's law making legal small amounts of mairjuana -- and a statewide initiative to legalize marijuna for medicinal purposes -- have made Colorado a hotbed of organized crime.  

SOUTH DAKOTA AND ABORTION: Another anti-aboriton initiatives makes the ballot in South Dakota. This has more exceptions -- rape, incest, life and health of the mother -- than the initiative that failed in 2006.